Dog Harness Reviews: Pros & Cons of Popular Styles

Susan Lanci Harness

I’m one of those people that still favor collars. I know. I’m very careful about Sophie’s neck, but sometimes I feel like a bad dog mom. I’ve tried harnesses, many different ones, over the past 4 years. She didn’t like any of them and didn’t seem to get used to them, either. Maybe they were the wrong style of harness for her, too bulky, too heavy, not sure. So, I decided to give it another try and got a few different styles to test out. I want to say a big thank you to Bitch New York, Doggie Design and Puprwear for sending Sophie these great dog harnesses for review. Each style had something to offer, and some had features that didn’t work well for us. I’ve rated them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Here’s our review.

Sophie in her Choke Free
Harness

The Choke Free Harness by Doggie Design

This is definitely a favorite of mine. We tested the American River Washed Blue Jean and Pink Minky Fur style, so it had the soft minky fur as the lining. I found this to be extremely comfortable for Sophie and it fit very well. There was plenty of room for her to also wear a collar with ID tags if I wanted, as the choke free feature has a lower cut to it, so doesn’t interfere with the neck at all. For Sophie’s size and weight, the velcro closure at the top of her back was plenty sufficient, and I liked the strong black plastic click in clasp, reinforced with strong  nylon  tethers. It is also adorable, which is important to me, too! It’s not super cheap, like you might find for the nylon webbing harness, but it’s more comfortable and stylish.

Denim Pink Minky
Choke Free

Rating: 5

Where to buy: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: XS (chest 11-13″); S (chest 13-16″); M (chest 16-19″); L (chest 19-21″).

Price: $28.00

The Hip Doggie X-Style Micro-Suede Olive Star Fur

Olive Star X-Shaped
Harness

This is a cute harness. I liked the one star design, and the softness of the micro suede with the faux fur lining. Even the harness straps are soft, made from micro suede. What I didn’t love about this harness is I thought the micro suede straps were a bit flimsy. It’s definitely ok for a tiny or small dog, but I would be reticent to put this on a medium sized dog or a dog that likes to pull a lot. The straps seem to be sewn in well and reinforced, and I would use this as a second or third go to harness for Sophie. Not bad, not great.

Rating: 3

Where to buy: Puprwear

Sizing: XXS (chest 9-14″); XS (chest 11-16″); S (chest 13-19″); M (chest 15-22″); L (chest 18-26″)

Price: $29.95  (add $12.95 for matching leash)

Step In Harness

Step In Harness
Charms

The Step-In Harness

I’ve always wanted to try a step in harness for Sophie. They look easy and light and comfortable, all things I would normally seek out when buying one. So I saw this great faux leather silver step in that had, of all things, a silver and crystal crown charm embellishment. I thought, ok, it’s like the Bark and Swagger crown; this must be meant to be! I was so excited to get it. When it arrived, we tried it immediately. What’s great about this piece is it’s very easy to put on and take off. Takes a couple of seconds. The faux leather is soft and the harness itself, is very cute. What I don’t like about this harness (and, maybe, all step-in’s) is the fit, and that it loosens very easily.

The fit is awkward. I can never tell if I have it on in the correct direction; neither direction seems to fit really well. The front part of the harness sags low on Sophie’s chest, and the underside rides up into the arm pit, so can’t imagine it’s all that comfortable. Regarding the harness loosening on its own, you can go from having a properly snug fit and, during the walk, it becomes dangerously loose. If the dog stops short and pulls back, it could easily come off right over their head. It happened to us. Thank goodness, we were on a quiet street.

I also thought, while adorable, that the crown charm was too big and heavy for the leash. It bogs the leash down, flops over onto Sophie’s head from the weight and, in general, is just a nuisance. You can adjust where it sits, but lower and higher both don’t work so well. After really wanting to love this style, I have to say I wouldn’t rush to get another step-in harness, mainly because of the fit. There are so many step-in options, maybe there’s one that would be right for you, if you like this style. A lot of people do. And the price is right.

Rating: 2, poor fit, loosens too easily; has nuisance embellishment

Where to buy: Puprwear

Sizing: XXS (up to 4 lbs); XS (up to 6 lbs); S (up to 9 lbs); M (up to 12 lbs); L (up to 16 lbs).

Kurgo Go Adventure
Harness

Price: $19.95

Kurgo Go-Tech Adventure Harness

I decided to include this in the review, because I wanted an option for those with big dogs. While Sophie didn’t try this one, I know of the brand, which has a good reputation,  and have checked out reviews, which were good. This is a very strong, solid harness. It is lightweight, tough, has a padded chest plate and padded vertebrae protector. There’s a control handle on the back, which is convenient. This is a harness for an active big or small dog. Comes in blue, raspberry & black.

Rating: 5, great for big dogs

Where to buy: Amazon

Sizing: XS – XL

Price: $23.99 – $33.99 depending on size

Hope this was helpful. In the next couple of days, I’ll be doing a review of a mesh LED harness I really liked. I wanted to single this one out, because it has a great safety component. Stay tuned..

What kind of harness do you use on your dog? How do you feel about collar vs harness?  Please share.

Until next time…

(Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Amazon, Bitch New York, Puprwear and Posh Puppy Boutique, so if you choose to buy a piece I recommend from a link on my site, I will get a small commission, which goes towards keeping Bark and Swagger running, and towards the animal rescues and rights organizations I regularly donate to. Thanks for helping!)